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Reading Recovery Programme

I welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Bayley. You managed to sneak in some way through the debate, and you are very welcome. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on securing this debate. It is clear from his speech that he cares deeply about the matter, and I know that he has secured Adjournment debates in the past on getting children school-ready by the age of five. I believe that he asked me a question about it just a couple of weeks ago. He made some startling points today, particularly the one also made by the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Stephen Williams) that children from working-class families on benefits have a quarter of the vocabulary of those from a middle-class background. He asked about 11-year-olds, and I undertake to write to him on that with a detailed answer. The hon. Member for Ceredigion (Mark Williams) mentioned special educational needs. He is a member of the Select Committee on Education and Skills, and we missed him on Thursday.